Tale of an Unsung Hero
by The Shamrock Sage
Summary: Heros aren't born, they're created. Join Minato Namikaze through all of his trials, hardships, and happiness as he sets out to become the hero that we all know and love in Tale of an Unsung Hero. MinatoXKushina


**Hello readers how are ya'll doing today? Fantastic, I've been planning this story for quite a while now and decided that the time was right to release the first chapter so I hope that you all enjoy it.**

**As always your opinions and criticism are welcome in all of my fanfics so please review to your hearts content. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto… nuff said.**

Tale of An Unsung Hero

Chapter 1: Birth of a Hero.

It was a warm and sunny day in the peaceful village of Konoha, the birds were singing, the gentle breeze rustling through the trees. All in all it was just another day in paradise for the residents of Konoha; blissfully ignorant of the war the raged just beyond their borders…

-Border of Kumo-

The Second Ninja war was finally coming to a bloody close. In a significant effort by Konoha the leaf shinobi's pushed back the invading forces of Kumo, Iwa, and Suna all the way to Kumo's border. Now in one final bloody battle the outcome of the war would be decided … staged in a small town who pledged no loyalty to either side, all civilians caught in the crossfire were… collateral damage nothing more.

The Third Hokage: Hiruzen Sarutobi looked over a former village caught in the crossfire between the warring nations. Never again would these unfortunate nations be the same he feared. War was always such an ugly business, the outcome was never certain but the grim result was always the same… death. War is a paradox that seemed like no man could ever break: love breeds hatred, hatred breeds vengeance, and vengeance sparks conflicts, which inevitably begins wars. Love and Hatred… two sides of the same coin really, seemingly inseparable. _Peace is always fleeting, _Sarutobimused to himself as he watched some retreating Kumo troops being slaughtered by team ANBU blackops. _Hmmm, nothing ever changes does it? War truly is the greatest tragedy ever composed, everyone is a character everyone is affected no one can escape the black hand of War. As humans we are all victims of our own emotions, which begin these mindless conflicts. And yet to abandon all emotions is to abandon all that makes us human. Compassion and Contempt, Lust and Celibacy, Envy and Satisfaction, Wrath and Mercy, Greed and Charity, Love and Hatred, Life and Death. All opposing forces but all hopelessly intertwined in human nature. A War breeds the Heroes and Demons of the next, in a never ending struggle between good and evil. Both can have equally good intentions, but in the end the victor is always the righteous one and the loser no matter how virtuous is always the evil one. No man can escape War because no matter where you run… because eventually the Beast come for you too…_

Sarutobi turned his back to the decimated village for a time the world could breath easy. A peace though only fleeting would soon be established. With this last battle Kumo would be shattered and the war at an end. In time, like all other peace agreements before it, the peace would wither and die sparking another conflict… breeding another war. The grudges and hatred of those who lost their loved ones in the war would live on forever… the Beast will never die.

-Konoha 2 weeks after the Battle of Kumo-

Loud music erupted from every corner of the village as the combat weary veterans returned home with the spoils of war they collected. Hiruzen led the march through the village with a sad expression on his face; he loved this village with all his soul and could not help but wonder: _what if it were my village burning? _The celebratory march continued towards the center of the village everyone celebrating the outcome of the war.

Well almost everybody…

Blood was everywhere as a small boy no older than 5 ran through the streets of Konoha. The boy had short spiky blond hair and a pair of deep blue eyes. His shirt, which bore the symbol of Kumo, was completely covered in the blood of another. Tears were streaming out of his beautiful cerulean eyes as he ran frantically though the congested streets of Konoha. Icy glares were thrown at him and even the occasional bottle of sake, but the boy was far past the point of caring. He only had one goal in mind, to find somebody, anybody who could help him.

A small smile spread across his face as a large building came into view. On large arch in front of the building were two words that made the young boy's heart soar with hope: Konoha Hospital.

The tears began to flow again as the longest day in the young boys life seemed to come to a happy ending.

-Flashback-

A small horse-drawn wagon a small family of three rolled over a final hill as the village of Konoha came into view. The families' father wore a basic gray Kumo flak jacket and a pair grey shinobi pants. Like his son, he had golden blond hair but conversely had a pair of piercing crimson eyes. The mother, like her husband, wore a gray Kumo flak jacket and she wore a short purple skirt with fishnet leggings. She had the same beautiful cerulean eyes as her son and locks of silky dark purple hair. Their son as lively and vivacious as ever was bouncing around the small wagon excited that after two weeks of travel they would soon be arriving in their new home: Konoha. There the small family would start anew away from the terrors and chaos of the war scared Kumo.

Their dreams of a new beginning unfortunately were only that… dreams.

Just as the small wagon reached the outer-walls of Kohoha a sinister chuckle was heard over the music and screams of the jubilant villagers. A sinister-looking man with pale purple, almost white skin emerged from the shadows. In his hand was a single kunai with an explosive tag attached to the end. In one deft motion the man threw the explosive tag towards the wagon and uttered, "there's no room in this village for Kumo scum like you," before disappearing in a whirl of leaves.

In a brilliant explosion the wagon and the family within disappeared in a column of flames. Thrown from the carriage by his father at the last second the small boy watched in horror as his mother and father were enclosed by the flames. When the flames dissipated the small boy approached the wreckage screaming out desperately. To his horror he found his father leaning up against a section of the ruined wagon with a large plank of wood impale through his chest. Next to his father was the body of his mother lying face down in a pool of her own blood.

Tears streaming down his face the boy ran straight towards the unconscious form of his father. "Dad! Dad! Wake up Dad Mommy needs your help!"

The crimson eyes of the older man slowly fluttered open. A mind numbing pain was surging through his chest. Looking down the man's eyes widened in shock seeing the plank of wood that impaled him to the destroyed wagon. He heard his son's desperate cries for help, but in his present condition all that he could do was wait for help to arrive. "Son," The father spoke his voice weak with pain, "Son you have to find help. Deep in the city is a hospital you must hurry and bring a trauma team." His voice broke after the last words as he again slipped into unconsciousness.

The tears stopped flowing from the young boy's eyes as he raised a clenched fist, "I won't let you down Dad!" He shouted and began running as fast as his legs would carry him into the unfamiliar village.

-End Flashback-

The young boy felt like his heart was about to explode out of his chest; the world around him began to go black as he neared the hospitals massive steel doors. With a resounding smack the little boy crashed through the hospital doors only to be met with an eerie silence.

The hospital was completely blacked out and a sign at the emergency room counter read 'Closed for Victory Celebration open again at 8 A.M. tomorrow morning.' Fresh tears began to roll down the child's face as all hope for saving his family died with that sign. Refusing to give up he ran back into the streets of Konoha yelling and shouting for help. No one seemed to care for the boy's shouts and cries only seeing another bastard child begging for food or attention.

For hours the small child ran around the city screaming himself horse, until he found his way into the center of the large village. Thousands of people were writhing and shouting in joy. Stepped on and kicked around he wandered aimlessly among the crowd screaming for help in a broken voice. Again no one seemed to care they were too engrossed in their happy celebration to take notice of the crying child.

Heart-broken and defeated all the boy could think to do was to go back to the destroyed wagon where his dying father and most likely deceased mother lied. His once warm cerulean eyes now had a soulless look to them morphing them to a pair of icy blue orbs. His sun-kissed blond hair, which was naturally messy, was now a whole new monster: spiked at even more irregular angles from where the boy pulled out his hair in frustration. He slowly approached the destroyed wagon with an emotionless expression on his face.

The boy's father had remained among the rubble for the four long hours that his son had been away. Many people had passed in the first two hours… none saw fit to help a couple of former Kumo ninjas. The weathered old man gave a frustrated sigh; with any luck his son was on his way back now with a squadron of med nins but, when he realized no such help was coming he used what little medical knowledge he possessed and jerry-rigged his dying body in an attempt to live just that much longer. Many hours had passed and still not a soul stopped to help the unfortunate man or his wife. The light was beginning to fade and just as the last shadows disappeared from his vision he heard his little boy call out to him.

"DAD! Hey Dad are you okay?" The small boy yelled in a broken voice. Running up to his father the boy collapsed unto the older man's chest fresh tears rolling down his face. "I'm sorry Dad! nnnbody waaaasss at the hospitallll and and every everywhere I went no boddy would heeeellp meeeee." "I'M SORRY DAD, I'M SORRY!"

A small smile formed on the father's face as his muscular arms wrapped around the small boy's form, "Shhhh, shhhh, it's okay son, it's okay." He bent over and gave the boy a gentle kiss on the forehead. Tear-filled cerulean eyes clashed with a pair of warm crimson orbs for a long second.

"Buuu buuut what am I going to dooo with out you or or Mommy?" The boy asked in a panicked tone.

The man tightened his grip on the young boy, "Shhhh, It's going to be fine. Here in Konoha you'll be able to grow up happy and strong. That's why we came here in the first place, we did this so that you could have a better future, Minato." He extended his arms outward and tightly gripped unto Minato's shoulders. "You're going to be okay Minato; I believe in you. One day your going to make a splendid shinobi just like me and your mother." Tears began to flow from the older man's crimson eyes. "Your Mother and I will always love you, nothing can ever change that… not even death. You're not alone. Always remember we're," His arm rose and poked right over where Minato's heart was, "right here."

Minato reached up with both hands and grasped tightly unto his father's hand, "I love you too Dad, I love you sooooo much."

In silence Minato held his dying father's hand; after what seemed to be hours but what was actually only a few moments the warmth left his father's touch and the light faded from his eyes.

An emotionally overwhelmed Minato remained by his dead father's side until at long last sleep overcame him. Hiruzen Sarutobi walked past several minutes later… shocked to see the small wagon and now orphaned had gone unattended for so long.

Minato was the only one to survive the tragic incident: His parents Sosuke Namikaze and Mikoto Namikaze were buried at the Konoha Civilian cemetery… Sosuke was the last known descendent of Kumo's former Namikaze clan. And Mikoto was one of Kumo's most well known kunoichi who until her marriage to Sosuke had no clan affiliations. Both died a tragic death on the night of October 10th leaving everything they owned to young Minato.

_Nothing ever changes… Love is a double-sided blade: breeding both happiness and sorrow… Everybody's got to die some time, but love lives on forever…_


End file.
